Sambar- Spicy-Tangy stew of Vegetables,aromatic spices and lentils!!!

Sambar- It wont be unfair if you call this dish as the king of South Indian cuisine.A staple in South India - is a spicy-tangy stew of vegetables,aromatic spices,lentils,coconut and tamarind to give it the sour taste.It goes well almost with everything plain rice,dosa,Idli.Vada or just have it hot like a soup.Sambar with rice is one of the most common meals in any South-Indian home and also a part of formal cuisine.
The main ingredient of this dish is the 'Sambar powder' and there are zillions of versions,proving its versatility and likeability.And the vegetables used to pepare,each vegetable gives a different flavour or a combination of them.There is the 'Drumstick-Sambar','Turnip-Sambar','Onion-Sambar' and so on.
There are ready made varieties of Sambar-powder available in groceries and super markets which are good to use if you are in a hurry but nothing like the Home-made Sambar powder.So try out and let the aroma fill your home:Heres are the recipes for Sambar and Sambar powder: 

Cooking time:30mins
Preparation time:15mins
Serves-8persons

Ingredients:

• Toor dal/Pigeon peas- 1cup
• Onion (sliced)- 1no(medium size)
• Tomatoes(chopped)- 5no(medium size).
• Green chilli- 1-2no
• Ginger n Garlic paste- 1tsp
• Tamarind - 40gms
• Jaggery/Sugar- 1tsp
• Red chilli powder-1/2tsp
• Turmeric powder- 1/4tsp
• Corrainder leaves/dhanya- 1bunch
• Mixed vegetables(of your choice)-drumstick 5-6 small pieces,pumpkin 2-3 small pieces,shallots-2-3no,lady finger-3-4,brinjal -1no,etc......(optional)
• Sambhar powder- 5tbsp
• Salt to taste
• Ghee- 1tsp
• Oil- 2tbsp
• Mustard- 1/2tsp
• Cumin seeds- 1/2tsp
• Fenugreek seeds-1/4tsp
• Dry  Whole red chilli- 2no
• Asfoetida powder- 1/2tsp
• Curry leaves- 10no

Method:

• Wash and soak Toor dal  in water for atleast 1 hour. Then pressure cook it with little salt,turmeric powder,tomatoes and put 3 cups water for 4 whistle and simmer it  for 5-10mins.Once when the pressure releases, open and mash it immediately or blend well and keep aside.
• Soak tamarind in water for about 10 mins.extract pulp and keep aside.
• Heat the oil  in deep sauce pan and add mustard, cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds, dry red chillies, curry leaves and asafetida, let them splutter, then add the onion, green chilli,ginger and garlic paste and saute them for about 2-3 mins
•  Now add red chilli powder,and add the vegetables now add 2 cups water.cook for about 5mins.
• Now add salt, tamrind pulp, cooked dal( please see the important note below), jaggery/sugar and sambhar powder. Let this come to a boil and add ghee at this stage and add corriander leaves.
• Let it simmer for around 10-15mins.
• Seve hot with your choice of accompaniment.

Important note: If you are using readymade Sambar powder then add 1/4 cup of coconut powder or 1 cup thick coconut milk when you are adding cooked dal to the mixture.
Sambar powder:
Ingredients:

• Corriander seeds/dhanya- 1/2cup
• Cumin seeds/Zeera- 1/2cup
• Fenugreek Seeds/Methi seeds- 1/4cup
• Mustard seeds/Rai dana- 1/4 cup
• Dry Coconut powder- 1cup
• Whole red chilli-1/4cup
• Dried Curry leaves-20
• Raw rice-1/4cup
• Black pepper corns- 1/4cup
• Black gram/urad dal- 1/4cup
• Red gram dal/Chana dal- 1/4cup
• Cinnamon/dalchini- 2"piece
• Cloves/laung-5
• Turmeric powder/Haldi- 2tbsp
• Asfoetida powder/Hing- 2tsp

Method:

• Dry roast all the ingredients on a pan except turmeric and asfoetida,on a medium flame till you get a nice aroma.
• Cool the mixture.
• Add turmeric and asfoetida and mix well.
• Store in a cool place in an air-tight container.

This goes to CWS event hosted by  Radhika and Priya.